Bluewolf
by LupaCaerulea
Summary: A new friend, who doesn't know anything about beyblading. A new bey, of which nobody knows anything about. A new adventure, with dangers, action, new experiences and sometimes kind of sparkling encounters. [I own only the OC and the story]
1. Chapter 1

_So, nobody here seemed to understand Finnish (Why I'm not surprised?). Let's try again, this time in plain (?) English._

_This is going to be a loooong story, even it's my first one. The first six chapters are kind of introduction, the "action" begins at the end of chapter 6. Just be patient._

_English is not my native language. I apologise every badly chosen word and clumsy sentence (yes, they irritate me too). Please correct the worst and/or funniest ones._

_I WON'T apologise all the music-stuff there will be in the story, because I've already cut it off A LOT!_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Mister Hagane is busy right now, you can sit and wait in the lobby. 9th floor, just in front of the elevators."

Probably this was what they meant.

A handsome group of easy chairs and sofas was waiting in the morning sunshine. Kiti sat under an enormous pot plant and yawned. _How is it even possible to be this tired? _She could almost hear the allurung lullaby of the sofa. _So, why resist? Certainly I'll hear when somebody's coming. _She curled herself on the sofa with a relieved sigh.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Dad, who is that person you wanted us to meet?"

They were all in Ryo Hagane's office: Gingka, Madoka, Tsubasa, Yuu, Kyoya, Benke and Kenta.

"She's a daughter of my old friend. She has come here to study music in the Music Academy, and my friend asked if I could look after her a little, help with the language and things like that. I was very glad to do that, he did a great favour to me when we were younger."

"So she isn't Japanese?"

"No, she's from Finland. It's almost on the opposite side of the hemisphere."

"What instrument does she play?" Madoka was getting interested.

"Harp, mostly. And piano. Her year at the Music Academy doesn't begin until January, but she wanted to come here couple of months earlier to get to know the city and people. I thought you could be more use to her in that than me."

"So when is she coming? Why we had to come here this early?" Yuu had sat amazingly silent during the conversation but now he lifted his drowsy head.

"I thought she'd been here before you. Hikaru and I will have a busy day today, this is the only spare moment we could manage for breakfest. These upcoming contests cause a lot of work. Hikaru, would you please call downstairs and ask if she is already there."

"Director, they said they have sent a girl here about half an hour ago. We were in that video conference at the moment so they told her to wait in the lobby."

The others looked at each other.

"We didn't see anybody there..."

Ryo scratched his head.

"Where can she be, then? Or has she get lost already?"

They went back to the lobby.

"Hey, there she is!" Yuu was the first who saw the curled figure in the shadow of the plant. A big and loose cap hide the whole head of the sleeper, letting only some copper curls to be seen.

"We were in such hurry we run past her without noticing" Gingka laughed. "It's a sheer miracle she didn't wake up, we surely were not that quiet!"

Ryo patted gently the sleeper's shoulder.

"Morning! You are Kiti, aren't you?"

The girl sit up and pushed the visor off her face.

"Morning... sorry... jetlag..." An enormous yawn almost stretched her face in two. She shook her head and looked around with drowsy eyes, trying to get her thoughts in some order.

"Mr. Hagane, I presume? Nice to meet you." She shook hands with him, still blinking.

"I'm very happy to meet Jonathan's daughter. It's almost a quarter of century since I met him."

He introduced the others and Kiti shook their hands, now with a sunny smile on her face. Her firm grip was noticed even by Kyoya, who had a very vague idea of what a "classical harpist" should look like. Kiti didn't fit in that picture very well. In her ragged jeans and green hoodie she'd have been more at home in the headquarters of Face Hunters.

"Are you a blader, too? Ryo told only about your music." Kenta asked the question everybody was thinking of.

"Am I... what?"

"A blader. Or whatever you call it? Do you have some special name for beys?" He fished Sagittario out of his pocket and showed it to Kiti. She looked at it with polite interest.

"I must admit I've never seen a thing like that. What do you do with it?"

Gingka stared at her, totally shocked.

"You mean... you have never even heard about beyblading?"

"Hey, c'mon, in that world's end village where I lived we didn't even have the internet connection more than on certain hours per day, and that sitting on a certain bough of a certain pine tree. Or maybe not even then. And I have never been much attracted by any kind of sports or games anyway."

"But you must see a bey-battle at once! Let's go all to the practice room!" Kenta snatched Kiti's hand and started to drag her to the elevators.

They found their way to a big room with several round dishes on the floor. The boys took their places around one of them.

"All together and all against everyone?" Gingka grinned and set his bey into the launcher.

"Just remember, this is _not_ a real battle! Only a little presentation of your beys. And no special moves here!" Ryo's voice was slightly nervous. He turned to Kiti. "These guys are apt to take every battle too serious. They can cause a lot of damage if they let their powers loose here. Even on outdoor dishes it's better not to stay too close."

Kiti didn't understand him at all. How could that tiny biscuit of a bey cause any kind of damage to anything?

"3 – 2 – 1 – Let it rip!"

Six differently coloured beys whirled round the dish. The commands and slight slurs mixed with the sounds of attacing beys.

Kiti watched the process with growing awe.

"How do they control them?"

"By will and power." Ryo smiled at her. "These beys have all a very powerful constellation in them. The blader controls both the bey and the constellation using its power and his own to defeat the opponents."

_And you think that cleared the whole thing? _

She noticed the only girl – whatever-was-her-name – standing a few steps behind others, tapping a tiny computer.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why don't you do that... that...?"

"Blading? I am their mechanic, I don't usually use my own bey. I collect the data of the beys and their movements when they battle."

Kiti looked the figures and diagrams on the screen. She was not interested in technical devices and the girl's doings seemed to her even more unaccountable than controlling a bey with just sheer will. She felt she should say something but didn't know what.

"I already thought this is only for boys or something..."

"Not at all, there are many good women bladers, too. For some reason boys are the majority. I only hope those guys won't..." She threw a worried glance towards the bladers.

The atmosphere round the dish had changed. Kiti's heart skipped a beat or two when she saw shadow-like figures rising from the beys, one after another. There was a bull attacing a lion, there a beatiful white horse spread its wings... _Heyyy, wait a moment, a horse with the wings?_

A sharp voice on the other side of the dish made her lift her eyes. She stared the greenhaired boy opposite her and felt her cheeks glow.

_Stop right there! You are too tired and over sensitive now, so don't even think about it!_

The commands were now louder and sharper, but among them her ears picked up a different kind of noise. Growling, mooing, neighing,… Suddenly she startled. Thad sound... where had she heard it before? A painful yearning was piercing her heart, like something long ago forgotten was trying to rise to her consciousness. Where _did_ those sounds come from?

"That's enough! I told you not to take this too seriously!" Ryo stepped forward and wawed his hands. The beys flew to the hands of their sour-looking owners.

"And we didn't even warm up yet..."

"So, how did you like it? Did you see my Sagittario attac?" Kenta was jumping up and down at Kiti's elbow.

"It was... it was amazing! I have never seen anything like that before! Only I hadn't the slightest idea which one was yours... or anybody's..."

"Leone is mine!" The greenhaired boy stood suddenly in front of her and thrusted his green-coloured bey towards her nose. The bright blue eyes were glowing threateningly. Kiti didin't move an inch. _So, you're a hard one? Think you can scare me, huh? _She answered with a look just as intense and twisted her lips.

"And this is bull!" A boy double the size of the others stepped between them breaking the moment. Kyoya pushed him aside with a grunt.

"This is Aquila." Kiti's eyes went wide when she looked the bey on silverhaired boy's palm.

"It's... beautiful! May I..." she lifted her hand and stopped. "Or... is it not allowed for strangers to touch them?" Tsubasa smiled and put the bey in her hand.

"There's no such kind of magic in them. Just be careful."

She turned the bey in her fingers and examined it closely. It was heavier than she had thought. The zoo-sounds had stopped the moment Ryo stopped the battle, only some lonely wolf was still testing its voice. She turned her head to find out where the noice came from and wandered why nobody else didn't seem to notice it. Once again she didn't know what to say.

"It's really beautiful. Thanks." Helplessly smiling she handed the bey back to confused-looking Tsubasa. Her ears were humming and she felt a little dizzy.

_I really must have a nap soon! Drat this jetlag!_

_::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

_So, there it goes. Hope it's not too awkward to read._

_Translating is so d-d hard work! A secret passion for Finnish-English-translation, anyone? Please?_


	2. Chapter 2

Ryo led his gang to the nearest coffeehouse.

"Hope you haven't eaten already? Or if you have, what about the second breakfast?"

While others concentrated themselves on the main thing, Madoka tried to keep up some polite conversation.

"Kiti, what's your real name? That is just a nickname, isn't it?"

"Sini Tuuli Virtanen. A very, very common name."

"Does it mean something?"

"Blue Wind Little River."

"How beautiful! You could be related to Pocahontas!"

Kiti grinned.

"It really sounds better in English."

Tsubasa looked at her with sudden interest. Although nobody of his friends knew it, his great-grandmothers name had meant Blue River in the language of her tribe.

Kenta looked a little puzzled.

"But how can "Sini" turn to "Kiti"?"

"There were three girls named Sini in our Kindergarten. The teachers found it easier to give us new names, and I was the one who always carried a "Hello Kitty " -toy with me. Simple, isn't it?"

She took a pencil and notebook out of her bag and handed them to Ryo who was sitting beside her.

"Would you like to make this name-thing easier for me: Please write your names here, also with kanji, or whatever marks they are, so I can try to memorise them."

After getting her notebook back she read the names carefully aloud.

"Ryo Hagane, Gingka Hagane, Madoka Amano... it's so nice you have enough vowels here! Kenta Yumiya, Benkei Hanawa, Kyoya Tategami _(Mmmm!)_, Hikaru Hasama... please correct if I pronounce too badly... Tsubasa Otori, Yuu Tendo." She nodded her head determinedly.

"I'll promise to remember these tomorrow. But not written in kanji!"

Yuu was tugging her sleeve.

"You must learn our beys, too! They are just as important, and Libra likes you already!"

Kiti seemed amused.

"I'll learn them and your shoesize too, if you want. But not yet today!"

The little boy glanced a critical look to her military boots.

"I think those are pretty gorgeous. Someday I'll have a pair, too."

A collective attac of laughter followed his remark. For Gingka, the image of Yuu in military boots was almost too funny.

"Well done, Kiti, you are already a role model! I really want to see the day when..."

"I have been admiring that necklace of yours" Hikaru interrupted him seeing the signs of danger on Yuu's face. "There's a feather and acorn and some wooden thing... is it a heart?"

Kiti took the pendant off her neck and put it on the table. Madoka stretched her neck for better view.

"It looks like a heart. But why just those three items? Do they have a certain meaning?"

"I've no idea. I just bought this some years ago and have carried it even since. But I know nothing about symbolics."

"Let's see." Madoka took her computer.

"Hmmm... heart... an universal symbol of love..." Yuu made an enormous yawn.

"Come on, tell us something we don't know!"

"Why the heart is the only item made of wood?" Ryo teased. "I mean, isn't it a bit risky if it catches the fire?" Kiti sneered.

"The acorn... Celts and Vikings... the life, fertility, immortality,... happiness, success, power, potential,..." The owner of the necklace rolled her eyes.

"Every good thing there is possible to be and some odd. Why I'm not surprised?"

"The feather... Native Americans... the power of the god of the thunder together with the powers of the wind and air... the truth, speed, light, flying, soaring... By the way, there is an ancient drawing of a feather of an eagle, it looks pretty similar than... Oh!"

Kiti had swallowed her drink in her windpipe and was now coughing fiercely, tears running on her cheeks. Ryo slammed her shoulders to help, but the only result was a flood of orange juice splashing on the table. Madoka saved her computer just in time.

Nobody noticed Tsubasa who was looking curiously at the necklace.

"Just a coincidence", he thought. "But interesting..."

After couple of minutes Kiti could breathe almost normally. Ryo was still patting her shoulders.

"You're alright?"

"Yep. But my mascara's probably not. For once I wear it."

"Yeah, you're more like a panda." Yuu nodded.

"Uh, I must go..." she headed towards the toilets.

"Do you need help?" Hikaru was already rising from her seat. Kiti waved her hand.

"I'll manage, thanks."

She needed to be alone a minute. _So, it's a feather of an eagle I've been carrying all these years. So f-n what? _The mascara was not easy to remove. _There was absolutely no need for this kind of fit! Just think what that silverhead did think about it. Holy shit! _She blushed scarlet and tried to calm herself by thinking of something especially dull. _The voice of the history teacher. The afternoon-tea with aunt Leena._

Returning finally to the table she felt almost normal. _And no more overreacting! It's just tiredness!_


	3. A new blader

**_A/N: If you have always listened only professionals playing concertos, can you imagine the situation when a four-year-old holds a violin for a very first time?_**

_**In fact, I'm a bit nervous of this chapter. Or, of that idea and explanation of how to direct or control a bey. The idea may be totally wrong, silly or ridiculous, or maybe anybody doesn't like it at all. Or maybe I use totally wrong words. But hey, life is a risky business!** _

The next morning Kiti was tiptoeing round the corridors of WBBA building. She had wanted to come to see the practice room again, and, if possible, try this new game before there was too many people witnessing her doings.

Peeping in an open doorway she saw the silverhaired boy sitting by a computer. He lifted his eyes just when she tried to step back.

"Morning! You do move silently."

"Morning. I... I just came to see... Is Ryo already here?"

"Not yet. But he should be any moment. Hikaru and Madoka are coming soon, too."

"Well... if you are not very busy..." She didn't know how to begin. For some reason she felt uncommonly shy.

"I mean... if I could try some bey? Before everybody is here."

"Sure! There are some extra beys in the practice room. I'll show you."

In the corridor they met Madoka.

"Good morning! Nice to see you both already here."

"Madoka, Kiti want's to try blading. Do you have some proper bey for her?"

"Of course! Just a moment."

She vanished in a room and came back with a bey and a launcher.

"These are good for beginners", she said and handed the items to Kiti who took them clumsily on her hands.

"Just follow me." Tsubasa demonstrated very slowly.

"The bey into the launcher – straighten your hand – target to the middle of the dish – and rip!"

Kiti closed her eyes and ripped. The bey whizzed through the air and landed beatifully, a couple of inches from the middle.

"Very good! That was an excellent launch!" Tsubasa nodded her encouragingly. Kiti could only stare the spinning bey, her eyes open wide.

"What shall I do with it now? And where can I put these..." Madoka came to help.

"I'll take them."

"Now you must get a contact with the bey. Every bey, with or without constellation, creates a kind of energy circle around it when spinning. It's that circle the blader communicates with, and controls its movements", Tsubasa explained. Madoka smiled at Kiti's confused appearance.

"It's not always easy to get the contact with a new bey. The more powerful bey, the easier to notice the energy it creates, but also the more difficult to control it. This one is very tame, so it may be quite difficult at first to..."

Kiti was not really listening.

_An energy circle, indeed. Get a contact, for sure._

She raised her hands towards the bey. No good.

_Contact._

_Energy._

The only thing she could sense from the bey was a quiet scratching sound. She closed her eyes and focused her mind to follow the point that caused the sound.

_There. And that should be moved, huh?_

In her mind she dragged the point towards the deepest part of the dish. It didn't follow too easily.

"Oh!" Madoka gasped.

Kiti opened her eyes. The bey spinned now exactly on the middle of the dish. Tsubasa swallowed what he had been just about to say and waited for the next move.

_So that's how it works. Let's move the scratching, then. How about a figure eight?  
_

Focusing her eyes and ears to the spinning top she started to move it.

At that very moment Ryo's face appeared in the doorway. Seeing the excited faces and slowly moving bey he stopped there without saying a word.

"What on earth are they doing?" he thought. "Have they been here practicing all night?"

Totally ignorant of everything outside the dish, Kiti drew carefully her figure eight. Her eyes were narrowed and lips set, while her hands were moving unconsciously according to the movements of the bey.

Now she started to lift it towards the edge of the dish. Almost there, she stopped and directed the bey to go slowly round the dish, keeping it so close the edge as possible.

Tsubasa whistled silently. Normally beginners were only able to push or fling their beys without much power or accuracy, but this newbie seemed to have it totally under her will. Of course, she hadn't yet any speed to speak of, but the way she kept it under her control was something even he hadn't seen before.

Chattering voices approached in the corridor. Ryo raised his hand and silenced them.

"What's happening there?" Kenta whispered.

"No idea. Let's go to the monitoring room."

Gingka led the others – Kenta, Kyoya, Yuu and Benkei – to a small room beside the practice room. Through the one-way mirror they could see how Kiti managed her last quarter of round.

"Gosh!" Kenta exclaimed. "How is does she do that? Has she hypnotized that bey?"

Kiti let the bey slide farther from the edge and stopped to think. Then she squatted down and reached her hand towards it.

"Come to mama!" she whispered.

"That is not going to pull off ", Tsubasa thought, guessing what she was trying.

Kiti could now clearly sense the energy of the bey, and therefore didn't need the scratching sound anymore. She wanted to lift it from the ground, to spin on her fingertips, but it was like rooted on the dish.

_Get up there! Hurry up! UP, I said!_

The spinning movement had slowed and the bey wobbled slightly. She stretched her hand just couple of inches more to get it under the bey, when she suddenly lost her balance and tumbled head first into the dish. Tsubasa jumped after her.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

The meaning of the foreign words that followed couldn't be misunderstood. At the same moment, Gingka and the others rushed to the room.

"Kiti, that was great! How long have you been practising?"

She sat on the bottom of the dish rubbing her elbow. _Holy shit if they all did see that faceplant!_

Ryo kneeled down by the dish, his eyes glowing with enthusiasm.

"Kiti, I'm serious: How many times you have tried that before?"

"Never! Sorry I'm not perfect!"

Tsubasa couldn't help laughing. He had been afraid Kiti had hurt herself, and now the whole situation seemed just absurd. A furious look from the girl made him quiet quickly.

"Even you, Brutus! Hit the man when he's down!" She felt tears burning in her eyes. _I'll never come here again, nevereverever..._

"I'm sorry, Kiti." The Eagle laid his hand on her arm. "But can't you see: you have just shown you can control the bey better than most people after weeks of hard training. So you understand we all are little amazed."

She stared him without realizing his words. _Weeks? What the..._

"And now come up there and tell us the whole story!" Ryo commanded. While Tsubasa helped Kiti out of the dish, Madoka gave a fast report of their doings. Ryo was literally fascinated.

"But this is really interesting! I've never seen anything like this!"

Kiti felt herself rather stupid.

"I didn't understand at all what to do. I just tried to move the scratching."

"?"

"I mean the sound that the bey makes. It wasn't until couple of minutes ago I noticed the energy, and that's why I wanted to lift it up to my hand." She was still annoyed for spoiling a good try.

"We thought you fainted!" Kenta looked at her with his innocent eyes.

"What the... Do I look like I am in the habit of …?!"

"We thought you had practiced here all night and were too exhausted. But you don't seem to be even tired", Gingka explained.

"Nope, just angry."

Ryo was pacing to and fro, his hands behind his back. Now he stopped.

"Kiti, how busy you are now before you start at the Music Academy?"

"No very busy. Naturally I have to practice but..."

"Listen, Kiti, what do you think... Would you like to start training beyblading also? It would be very interesting to see how yor skills will develop."

"Well, why not... But how can I..."

"You need a coach, of course. A sensei. Tsubasa, what do you say? Would you help her?"

The Eagle smiled in his quiet way.

"It would be a pleasure. If only Kiti has nothing against it?"

"Uh, no, of course not." She tried to organize a smile on her face. "Thanks for your help already."

Ryo rubbed his hands, seemingly content.

"Excellent! You can plan your training routines as you wish, only let me come and see once in a while." He marched whistling out of the room.

The others gathered around Kiti, asking and complimenting.

"We didn't see the whole show! Please, do it again!" Yuu handed her the launcher he had taken from Madoka.

"Well, I... I'd rather watch you training. I think I've better sit down for a moment." She headed to one of the benches beside the walls. _What a show, indeed! And what if I can't handle that darned biscuit at all the next time I try?_

Madoka, Tsubasa and Gingka were discussing about some bey-details she was showing on her computer, and Kenta, Benkei and Yuu were challenging each others in shooting to the target with eyes shut. Only the greenhaired bad boy was sitting alone at the other end of the room, watching the others with his piercing eyes.

_Why is he always looking so stern? Is it bitterness or just a habit? _

She rose and went to sit beside him.

"Why are you not training?" A contemptuous snort.

"Don't need and can't here. Practice rooms are for beginners."

"Oh. I thought.."

"Just look at those." He nodded towards the three boys. "They are just having fun. If they battled for real, they'd smash the whole building. And even those three together are no match for Leone."

"I see." _Great. Keep asking more stupid questions._

"If I only could understand..." she sighed. "It seems all of you were born with a bey between your teeth, and I hadn't even heard about the sport before yesterday. And now I should start training and whatsoever and I don't even understand what do you do and why." A pair of green eyes looked the Lion appealingly under the cap.

Kyoya felt his heart beating faster. Such eyes... He fastened his gaze quickly to the floor.

"You'll learn. Just follow those guys couple of weeks and keep your eyes and ears open. And you have always that_ sensei_ of yours to ask." The irony in his voice was quite poisonous.

The way Ryo had ignored everybody else in choosing a coach for Kiti, had been infuriating. Of course, Tsubasa was the oldest of them, and had worked for WBBA for a long time. And normally he, Kyoya, wouldn't have cared two sticks about anybody's training except his own. But after weeks and weeks hanging around in WBBA building without almost nothing to do, even this kind of project would have been interesting.

After the episode in Hades City, Ryo had ordered them all to come back to Metal City, saying he would need them there. Nile, Demure and Team Dungeon left to their homecountries, and the life went on as usual. Only to Kyoya, nothing was as usual. He missed his team, he missed hard training, he missed something to aspire.

As to his eternal rivalry to Gingka, he had started to think the battle couldn't be won only by force. So he had used his time by watching his opponent's training, trying to learn more about his ways and weaknesses. The Lion's eyes narrowed when he looked his worst rival, standing there beside Madoka, laughing an chattering happily.

Kiti had blushed and bent her head after Kyoyas words.

_He is definitely not nice. But so damned good looking! Anyway, from now on don't you ever let him abash you without a protest!_

She would have wanted to ask dozens of questions more. Where did he train? _How_ did he train? What was a real battle? Why he had those scars on his face?

The temptation to touch his cheeks or that well-shaped six pack was almost irresistible.

_Behave yourself! Two hours of scales tonight if you don't stop right now!_

"Hope I'll learn, then", she sighed again. "Better begin right away." She got up and run to the others. Kyoya had an uncomfortable feeling that the result of the conversation wasn't a perfect success.

**_A/N : I just noticed how extremely absurd it is that Kiti hadn't even heard about beyblading before. Maybe she just doesn't watch any news, ever. Or maybe she couldn't recognise a football when she sees one. (LOL)_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**This song has been humming in my ears for days (again). Because of it, and because I've read some nice chapters of different stories based on a song, I try to make my own version of connecting a song and a character. Don't own the song, and the name of the band (Eagles) is just a coincidence, really!  
**_

* * *

"_Desperado, why don't you come to your senses  
You've been out ridin' fences  
for so long now  
Oh you're a hard one  
I know that you've got your reasons  
These things that are pleasin' you  
Can hurt you somehow."_

* * *

After couple of weeks Kiti felt quite like home among her new friends. She had already heard almost all there was worth to know about their beys and their past. Especially Yuu had been an endless source of information, a thing the others did not always appreciate. She had also seen "a real battle" between him and Tsubasa, which had left her very quiet for the rest of the day. The bladers had heard about her two brothers – "I just had to gain some muscles to stay alive with them" – and her harp, "the only true love of her life".

She and Madoka had had glorious times together, shopping, chatting and eating enormous amounts of chocolate. They didn't have much in common but that didn't prevent them to get along well. As Madoka said, "Kiti is just like one of the boys – except she is a girl. A kind of."

Madoka had also tried to teach her how to bake, but the results hadn't been too encouraging. Even Yuu hadn't been able to eat the "so called cake" Kiti brought to the table, and the others refused firmly even to try. However, she wasn't much worried.

"Next time it'll be better", she said. "I may not be perfect in anything, but if there is something I'm good at, it's learning new things."

Tsubasa agreed heartily with her. The girl seemed to have more natural talent to blading than any of them, except Yuu. After couple of training sessions he had an odd feeling he wasn't actually teaching her, but reminding her of things she had forgotten long ago. Kiti was also very pleased with her sensei, at least when she got used to his habit to work with every detail until perfectionism.

On the first day they had concentrated solely on Kiti's standing position when launching. After two hours of adjusting she had wondered hor she ever had been able to stay in vertical position at all without paying attention to so many details of her balance.

"Wouldn't it be easier if I stood on my head?", she had finally asked. "I mean, at least it _can't_ be much more complicated?"

* * *

"_Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy  
She'll beat you if she's able  
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet  
Now it seems to me, some fine things  
Have been laid upon your table  
But you only want the ones  
That you can't get."_

* * *

On a rainy evening when Kiti was walking to her tiny flat she almost bumped into Benkei and Kyoya on the street.

"Hi guys, where are you coming from?"

"Went to see the latest Bond. Not as good as the previous one." Benke answered. "Why are you out this late?"

"I was playing with a couple of musicians. We met yesterday at the Academy, and now we are going to make a jazz-trio. Just imagine, three absolutely classical musicians trying to play swing and boogie-woogie!" She laughed happily. Benkei seemed not to know where the joke was.

"You mean... you are some kind of team?" He asked after ten seconds hard thinking.

"Exactly! A tag team, in fact. Isn't that how you call it when battling with a partner? I mean, you can't concentrate only in your own show to be a star, but have to listen and follow your partners to make things work."

"I think so..." The big boy blinked his eyes trying to look like he had understood. The speed Kiti was loping wasn't suitable for such thinking process. A tag team... Suddenly he remembered the battel in World Championchips where he and Demure had combined their skills and almost won against Tsubasa and Yuu. The end of the battle had been terrifying, but the beginning part of it... His face lightened when a sudden inspiration flashed through his mind.

"Oh, I see! B-b-b-b-bull, yes, that's true!" Kiti's smile was at least as broad as his, even she wasn't sure why he was so happy with the thought.

"Why are you doing it? Are you going to participate a competition?" Kyoya asked abruptly. Kiti looked at him astonished.

"Why, no, just for the fun of it."

"You have no other reason?"

"No, why should we have? Of course, we'll learn many things when making music together, but no, we are not going to contest. We have none of us any need to be "number one players" or "better than some certain person", if you meant something like that."

She threw a sly glance towards the greenhaired blader, well knowing she was poking a beehive. During the last weeks she had learned a lot about her new friends, also on things they hadn't said aloud.

Kyoya walked onwards without looking at her. He had understood the hint but didn't want to show it.

"So you don't want to improve?"

"Of course we want! You think we'd come this far if we didn't? It's just..." _Why, oh why are boys so..._

"What's your true reason for training and being the best, then? It's obvious you are not doing it for money or fame, so you must have something better in view?"

Kyoya didn't answer at once. He knew there were bladers who had selled their skills for money, like mercenaries. Once he had thought Tsubasa was one of them, but luckily that proved to be a mistake.

There were also people who enjoyed being famous, but he was definitely not one of them either. Gingka had once related some weird story of a team member of China, who had managed to conciliate even furious Madoka, after practicing with thousands of fangirls, but that was propably just one of his silly tales.

No, he had his own reasons, and there was more than the one Kiti and the others knew.

"Why do you want to know?" he finally asked.

"Just asking. In fact, I'm much more interested in what will you do _when_ you reach your goal?"

The question totally silenced the Lion. For the first, he had hardly ever thought that far. For the second, had anybody ever referred to his rivalry with Gingka in such words? What _will_ you do _when_.

When. Not if.

"Will you have another match just to prove it wasn't a mistake?" The green eyes were watching him curiously.

Suddenly he felt irritated. Why was this newcomer asking him questions even his oldest comrades hadn't the nerves to ask? The girl had managed to catch him off-guard, and he didn't like the situation at all.

"That's my own business!" he snarled.

* * *

"_Desperado,  
Why don't you come to your senses?  
come down from your fences, open the gate  
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you  
You better let somebody love you  
before it's too late."_

* * *

"What will you do when you reach your goal in playing?" he asked haphazardly, to led her thoughts away. Kiti sneered.

"That day isn't too near yet. And when it comes, there'll be plenty of important things for me to choose."

"Like what?" the Lion demanded.

They had walked through a park and climbed up the hill in the middle of it. The rain had stopped and clouds were swiftly moving, revealing almost full moon rising above the tree-tops. Kiti stopped on the top of the hill and folded her umbrella.

"Like the woods. The wilderness. I fly into pieces if I can't go to the wilds for now and then. Just alone, only the most necessary items with me."

She lifted her face and sniffed the night air. The moonshine made her eyes flash restlessly.

"In the nights like this I feel like howling if I'm stuck indoors." she said quietly.

Kyoya glanced a sharp look on her.

"She's a wild one, too", he thought. "She'd made a good blader some day, if she'll be trained in proper way." A new idea started to grow in his mind. The blue eyes followed the gaze of the green ones. "Who knows..."

* * *

_A/N: I don't want to ask for rewievs if anybody doesn't feel like writing anything. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't apperciate your thoughts greatly!_


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